Nice Postman, Nice Friend.....

What with Easter and stuff, I have not told you about the nice mail I received a few days ago...

Isn't this the brightest fabric! I received this from Carolyn at The Veggie Hunter.  She and I have been snail-mail communicating back and forth for awhile and this is the latest....

   I want to jump into it right away, but am thinking of so many things it would be good in...

like...

mug rugs (maybe more than one)...

quicky table runner...

sewing machine mat for my new sewing table...

 pared with white for a funky baby quilt....

Anyone have an opinion on these or something else I could make????

All comers welcome....

Weather and Doin's

All of you people who are having horrific and huge rainstorms, thunder, tornadoes, etc...please allow me a little slack on this post...We here in Texas cannot compete with the huge amount of water that falls from the skies in your neck of the woods..we hardly know what it is when we see it, it has been so long.  But we have had rain two (count them! 2!) days in a row now.  Both were heavy clouds and hard rain..granted it was only about 20 minutes or so Monday and maybe an hour on Tuesday..but we feel we are blessed.  Now maybe our pasture will show a little growth and our trees and lawn will sprout up...

BTW (good pictures of the wildfires in Texas here) We are not in any danger....they are north and west of us a good bit.. we are east of Austin and south of Dallas...

So Tuesday....before the rain....hail.. hard enough to hurt.  We were in the yard tying down some lengths of tin we will be delivering to DBIL today.

  We no longer need them, after several years of "just in case" keeping.. we are notorious for pulling weird things, which I might explain later on in the post...or not...

Anyway, spots of rain and sounds of hail hitting the tin, as well as us, stopped us and we ran into the barn..it was closer. We were able to eventually reach the front porch, where we stayed and wondered at the liquid air all around us.  I had to take a couple of pictures......

We are ready to head out on a 2 hour trip to drop off the tin, then we go to the big City to buy new wood to fix the bottom of the trailer (at least) and then off to get new tires for the diesel duely truck (we have one, just can't spell it!) How many I don't know yet, may be as few as 2 and as many as 6. We had a flat a few weeks ago and don't have a spare.  Of course, if we were smart, we would have gotten the new tires and fixed the trailer Before DH loaded the tin, but we evidently like to live dangerously.....

So, unless I get to sew a little on my take-along wall hanging, I may not get my 15 minutes in today...will let you know. 

Yea! We have a Winner!

Congratulations to Kathy H....she won my Giveaway!  I was able to send her an e-mail, but don't know where in the world she is....As soon as I hear from her, the package will be "in the mail". 

Thanks to all who participated.  I enjoyed checking out your blogs or pictures on Flicker, etc.... So many new contacts and places to go. 

Just to remind all, I will continue my mini-giveaways on the 1st and 15th of each month, beginning with May 1...so be on the lookout for it then.

Town Trip and Events

Last Thursday, (April 21), DH and I went to town to associate with the masses after a long dry spell of just talking to each other at least 3 times a day....("Good Morning,".... "Pass the Coffee"... "Have you fed the Dog?")..

On our way, we stopped at our mailbox and to my surprise, there was a coupon from JoAnn's for 20% off an entire purchase (sale items included!)..I revised our travel plans and stopped there first...DH found some odds and ends for himself and gifts for others....I very calmly availed myself of some St Pat's Day Decorations for 70% off , a few bundles of FQs for 30% off, 2 yards of nice flannel (0% off), and several other small items.....(Got some of the SPDD's for 90% off!) Cool! My grandchildren can wait one year! 



BTW....I forgot to go back to the cutting table to get the flannel...Just realized it at 5:50pm CST on 4/22...guess I didn't want it that badly....oh well..
 We stopped in at a local hardware store to look for curtain rods...DH, as most of you know, can make anything, fix anything (some things I don't want fixed), and tweek anything...

We bought 6 small hooks (2 sets of 3), spray paint, (2) 10 foot long pieces of 3/4" metal conduit, and end pieces to cap the ends of the conduit.  Thus I will eventually have 2 curtain rods to hang my not-as-yet-finished curtains up in my sewing room.

We also browsed around the local book store and imbibed in drink and sustenance..and escaped with several bundles of books and magazines.

and I got a new cell phone!  Understand, we are among the few who seldom use their cell phone. We use it only as a phone and buy prepaid minutes...which lasts us more than a year, usually..Since both of us have a phone now, however, we may start using them more often....usually to find each other in some of the larger stores where we mosey around.

All in all, a successful day.  Of course, after we got home, I found I had lost my new phone...it wasn't in the sack or my purse.  I kept it in one of the outside pockets....my DH thought it was funny that I had lost it even before I could use it.  I didn't even know the number....

Anyway, he went outside, poked around the car and found it on the back seat floor where it had tried to escape from this evil being who plans just to let it languish and grow fat with disuse....I proceeded to slap it in irons (its' temp. holder) and banish it to the bottom of my purse....



I then calmed my beating heart by eating ice cream we bought at the grocery store on our last stop before coming home...

As I said before.....a successful day!

15 minutes of "fame"

I have forgotten about my promise to myself to work at least 15 minutes on sewing/quilting every day....some progress toward something/anything to do with fabric/stash/sewing room/etc.... And thus I have been having jerky accomplishments like an old car in third gear trying to reve up from a standing start....

So, starting today (Good Friday...a good day to start something!) and using my special clock,

 I will try to reintroduce myself to that promise...Please help monitor me and keep track on the new tab above labeled 15 minutes/day..... 

Let's see how long I can last....I'm still in the neo-stages of newness to this idea and how to present it here, so keep sharp tabs so you won't get lost if I have a "change in the middle of the stream" inspiration or idea....

Heeerreee we go.o.o///////

Cripes! Oops! I forgot we are having company on Easter...well, they will just have to watch me strut my stuff!!!

    HAPPY EASTER!!!!

Oh, BTW, how do you like my new look?  I am still checking out facelifts and tummy tucks, so some things may change a little more in the weeks/months?? to come.  My learning has to be slow and steady, or I will shoot the curve and go barreling out into who-knows-what land....  

Cooking Tip - of all things!!!

It has always been said that old ideas are new to those who haven't heard them before...

Well, here is something that I hadn't heard about but cooks everywhere are probably aware of....

It was a link on my Facebook, so I will have to link it here.  Very quick video.

http://www.thehomeschoolchick.com/2011/04/how-to-peel-a-potato-without-a-peeler/

In my Room...Remembering...

I am still trying to work on the curtains..

I have all 4 of the basic curtains done..this one does have the ruffle (yes, I added a ruffle, and it IS ruffley (spelling?? even a word??).  I know I said a straight ruffle, but I got carried away. I sometimes wonder why I went this route, instead of just sewing the edges of a very nice looking fabric and calling it quits...guess I was curious as to how they would turn out.

I still need to add the backing and sleeve for the curtain rod, as well as hem, wash, (it has been laying on the floor at times) iron (saints preserve us, did I just say that!!??), etc...

I don't want to say that I am getting tired of these, but I am winging it, being "patternless", so with every new step, I hem and haw and think and waste time....

and this is about the only thing I have been working on except for this,, remember???

I have quilted one bug and am working on another, and then will tackle the easy part...the green..

But I am getting bored, so after I "sort of" clean my sewing room I will start on something else..can't show you because I don't know...I will continue working on the curtains, just not exclusively...after all, they aren't a quilt, are they? 

Oh, I mentioned cleaning....I ran across these (didn't really, they were in plain sight and thought you might be interested..).

(yes, they are poised in my pin bowl)..they were made by my mother over 55 years ago..yes, they have stems... I have been trying to find a good display arena for them..they have been residing in an old clear plastic Chanel No. 5 bath powder container with a lid (and how old is that!!) and resides in my bathroom...I have thought about a shadow box, but with what background? They are somewhat delicate (can be squoshed or squashed).   



One Year Giveaway!!

One year is a milestone...a baby may be walking...a candle may be blown... an anniversary may be celebrated..a life may change...

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Can't believe I have kept this up for a year....That's a LOT of dots....

I started about the time my room was new with this 2-line-no-picture-post on April 17, 2010:

"...Hopefully, I can continue to add to this blog. I needed somewhere to keep pictures and (mis)adventures while sewing. Maybe this is it. .."

...wondering if I would/could continue ...

And so far I have.. thanks to the encouragement of my followers and others in this virtual world of blogging and internet..So many things I have learned and now practiced..so many friends I have found (not virtual, either!)..so many sites full of suggestions, tutorials, and encouragement.


Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

So here comes the Giveaway...

First...I am starting this post about a month ahead of time so that I won't be pressured by time to do it all at once. So as I am writing this, I have a stack of items next to me, ready to be given away...Also during this time line, dear readers/followers of mine, I am continuing to go through my stash to decide what will stay and what will be going to a new home.  Hopefully the stack will get bigger as I continue this quest.

And who is the beneficiary of this activity?  The winner of this Giveaway.

Rules (such as they are) first, because pictures of items may be continually added and I don't want to forget to put this already commonly known, but necessary, portion of a giveaway post...

1)  Comment please and be available for notification and verification or no winner..

2)  Please post on your blog (if you have one) about this giveaway

3)  DH will draw names

4)  Closing Date - April 25, 2011 at 11:59pm (Added one more day after posting, because I realized the 24th was Easter Sunday...)


Now for the fun part:

1 1/2 yards.. Point of interest...I tried to erase a light line I created eons ago when I was trying to decide how to cut this.  Obviously, I did not go through with it.  Lovely design and possibilities....

Decent size Remnants = little larger than scraps= batiks



Used, but in very good shape....

Patterns/Instructions

...a can't do without in my house....

..older fabric from Wal-Mart..striped one a little stiff, even after washing..

...those cream gadgets are slide & lock cord adjusters I used when making wine bags to close them... (one dozen, if I counted right)

and finally, just a group of smaller remnants that blend together....

That's it...Enjoy the anticipation and check in on April 25 as stated earlier...one winner will get it all....

Tips and Thoughts in the Sewing Room #V

1) Love this: "Do something today that doesn't have to be done again tomorrow" - shown on Crafty Pug's site.

2) Watch out for static electricity when you flip the switch on your sewing machine....touch something else first to rid yourself of it if necessary.

3) Never start cutting at 3:00 in the morning.

4) Every idea is a new one, even old ones that you haven't thought of in a long time.....

5) Coloring fabric with crayolas is much faster than sewing...usually...but you can't rip out....

6)  Tips sometimes don't come to mind.....Thoughts sometimes overrun the mind, one right after the other.

7)  Don't hide things under a bushel,,,take them out and show them off!!

8)  When you can' sleep,,,,,,sew something simple.. (but see #3)

9)  Tired of some of your stash? 3 S's......Swap, Sell or Share...

10) Tips do not get old, check out posts I thru IV (click side Label "Tips" )

Another Element Added

My DB came this weekend and brought me this:

It has 4 chairs, but I will probably only keep 2 in the sewing room. The others may go around my other table as spares. My mother (and later DB) had used this as a kitchen table for a number!!! of years.  All wood, including the mechanism that pulls and lifts the extensions on each end for a longer top if needed. It is on loan as a sewing table for yours truly. Love it..

I think sometime in the past a new leg had to be made..see the difference in the two legs you can see...Nevertheless, it is in great shape and I will be protecting the top with a cloth mat as soon as I can make one.  In the meantime, I will put a top that I haven't quilted yet under it.  Without the side panels, it is just long enough for my machine and extender to fit. 

My sewing room style is eclectic in nature.  From chrome to wood to plastic....but I love wooden furniture!

Of course it was nice to see my little brother too (13 yrs younger than I am)..

Good Morning!

It will be a lovely day today...maybe up to the mid 80s with wind (gusts to 35 mph....checking with the weather...hold on..Oops, that is 90 degrees, 15-25 mph winds..).

Won't do much sewing today..Readying for a visit by my DB who is coming up from Corpus (7 hr trip) to see the place for the first time.  Been here for almost 8 years now. He is bringing up a kitchen table of Mom's that will do nicely for a sewing table.  It will be replacing the table that I have been using.

I have the blocks ready to put together for my last two curtains.

I have decided to make a ruffleless ruffle on the top of each curtain...I'll be experimenting again....more of that later.

Remember "National No Housework Day" that Linda from Stray Stitches wrote about a couple of days ago?

Well, here is the result at our house....

My DH barbequed a cornish hen cut in half..to save me from cooking dinner (I made the potato salad)...

Actually after peeling off the charcoal, the meat wasn't too bad..Guess the timing for cornish hens is different than regular chicken on the BBQ..

BTW, I usually cook them in the oven with rice or stuffing, but DH is on a BBQ kick, it is almost summer here, you know...and who am I to discourage a replacement cook!

Personal note:::Did any of you watch the game at Fenway Park yesterday at 2:00?  My DD was there in the band...

Another Past Post - almost a year ago;; Giveaway semi-soon....

I am still working on curtains and crayola "mat" or whatever it will turn out to be...so no new pictures.  I do have my shelves in and am almost finished loading them up, but will wait a little longer to take pictures of that...

In the meantime, I took one last look at a year-ago blog post.  Here was (and is still) my inspiration and a hint at my sewing room - to be.....



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Part of my working area and inspiration

I am cleaning up my sewing room after having a floor put in (notice the extra baseboard pieces to right on floor). So this may change in the weeks/months/years to come. Anyway, here is my trusty Janome 6260. It is an update from a $190 Singer I bought at Walmart, which was a good machine, and what I started quilting on. After awhile, however, I wanted to learn to machine quilt, but I was not interested in machine embroidery at the time, so thus this was picked. It is a decent upgrade and perhaps I will upgrade again when I am comfortable what this can do and need more.



The aqua, pink and purple bin is what I can my "Current Project" holder. The purple tray comes out and there is room in the aqua area for the large pieces of fabric which I will need. The tray holds my sewn, cut and to be cut squares, as well as a picture of the pattern and anything else that happens to drop into it.

These are hanging above my sewing machine. I feel they belong there, even if they are not quilted. They were given to me by my mother-in-law. She got them in Costa Rica. They are made of pieces of fabric. I don't know what type of work this is called. It is multiple layers of fabric sewn together. If someone is familiar with this I would love to know what it is called. I have one other that is not framed and you can feel the "hills and valleys", for lack of a better term, as you handle it. From what I understand, the underlying fabric pieces do not go all the way across underneath; it is definitely not very thick, but I don't dare take any of these apart to see how they are made!


Posted by Quiet Quilter
 
BTW, found out what the technique in the pictures is called, but forgot...also, they came from Panama, not Costa Rica....
 
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Remember to watch for my One Year Old Giveaway...just found the last item to add to the list..

 

Coming on April 17.....

Winner Squeaked in Under the Wire.....!!

Jennifer!  You won..only about 30 minutes or so after you commented!  That is fast service... Congratulations!  Let me hear from you again and tomorrow I will mail the goodies to you...

Need help on quilting.....

I have this prospective wall hanging sandwiched together and this shows what will be the binding....

I know I will do a random squiggily line on the green, but how should I quilt the little bugs?  As a reminder I did use crayola on the white, so don't want to have any stitches on it. 

I think I have two basic questions/decisions here:

1)  What color thread should I use? white, black, cream????

and

2) Type of quilting

As far as #2 is concerned, I have thought about basic simple echo around the main figures

or

simple parallel lines from edges inward toward figures,,,say 3/4" or so apart, stopping close to outline.

I want to do as little quilting as possible....this will be a wall hanging and will not be subjected to the wear and tear of a quilt...

Any suggestions or observations???? 

Oh, yes,.....the squares will be a finished 10" each, thus the wall hanging will be approximately 20"X 20" + binding....

Odds and Ends giveaway #7 - cat fabric

Okay, for all you cat lovers out there, and everyone else, too....not one, but (almost) two panels of cats with bamboo-type background. 

One piece is approx 1 yard by normal width, the other is the same size, with cutouts on non-cat areas.  Looks as if someone used the bamboo or weave area for a house or fence or something like that.....

The writing on the selvage states "Valerie Leonard for Chapel House Fabric 1992".   

Imagination runs ramant with these pieces.....Good luck to all.... Drawing by DH takes place April 3, after the 10:00am cutoff time. Contact = package in the mail.

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ONE YEAR GIVEAWAY

 

The drawing on April 15th will be replaced this one time by my One Year giveaway on April 17th...details then about what goodies I come up with (again from my stash closet..and other places....)

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Next Odds and Ends giveaway .......on May 1...